


Accept Me (For Who I Am)

by De_Marvel_Bunny



Series: Whumptober 2019 [22]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Howard Stark's Bad Parenting, Hurt Tony Stark, James "Rhodey" Rhodes is a Good Bro, Sad with a Happy Ending, Sort of? - Freeform, Team as Family, The Avengers Are Good Bros, Tony Angst, Tony Stark Angst, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Has Daddy Issues, Tony Stark Has Issues, Tony Stark Has Self-Esteem Issues, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony Stark-centric, Whumptober, Whumptober 2019, again sort of?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-22
Updated: 2019-10-22
Packaged: 2020-12-28 15:13:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21138761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/De_Marvel_Bunny/pseuds/De_Marvel_Bunny
Summary: All his life, Tony Stark had stuck out like a sore thumb. He was a misfit. No one accepted him for who he was.Until they did.OR,I seriously had no idea what to write so here's a view of how Tony Stark was different but so are the Avengers so they'll make a happy family themselves.





	Accept Me (For Who I Am)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kcusllay](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kcusllay/gifts), [The_Sad_Fangirl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Sad_Fangirl/gifts).

> Ahem, so. Okay.
> 
> I wrote this in, like, thirty minutes because I was tired and had exactly zero (0) inspiration. So, uh... enjoy?

Tony knew he was different. He'd known it all his life, in fact. He knew he was too smart for his age, although it never seemed to be enough to satisfy his father. It had scared people, kids and adults alike, away. It's why he didn't have any friends for so long.

Until he met one James Rhodes (who Tony immediately dubbed "Rhodey", because James didn't fit him).

Rhodey didn't think he was weird because of his intelligence. He didn't use it for his own purposes either. Rhodey was a nice change of pace for the young genius and allowed Tony to find a side of himself, a much more open side, he didn't previously know he had.

He closed up around anyone that wasn't his best friend, however. Others still treated him like he was different. Mostly, it was in a bad way. Sometimes, the professors praised his genius, but it made Tony feel different from everyone else.

He grew up, inherited Stark industries, and it flourished underneath his hands. Again, the media praised him for his genius intellect. But that was all he was good for, wasn't it? There was nothing else to him. There was his genius, and maybe the arrogance he showed more often than not, and that's where Tony Stark ended. That was all he was.

Some days, when he'd gone out for a walk and was immediately bombarded by the press, he wished he wasn't... well, _him_. Sometimes, he wished he was a nobody, a random, faceless person he passed in the streets, who took the subway to work, greeted their co-workers and went on their day like any other. He never had that. He didn't have a choice. If he could, he would start his life all over again, be a nobody, a faceless person in the streets. Tony grew up to be a successful businessman, but he never had a different choice. He could never choose his own passion, his own career. And even though he loved building things, he never wanted to be a businessman. He never wanted to be as famous as the president. Maybe he just wanted to be... _Tony_.

His inventions changed the world, his weapons protected the citizens of America. He was proud of what good he'd achieved. He was less proud of how he lost himself in the process. Some nights, most nights, he'd lie awake, staring up at the stars from his windows. Sometimes he'd cry, wishing more than _anything_ that he could be anyone else. But when the morning came, he was still Tony Stark, still ran the biggest company in America, and still felt miserable, despite his ever-present smile.

That went on for years. Day in, day out, they all seemed the same. He never thought he'd be anything else but a misfit.

And then the Avengers came along. A whole group of misfits, just like him. At first, Tony Stark had hope, for the first time in his life. He hoped they would accept him like only Rhodey ever did. He hoped they'd recognize that he really wasn't that much different from the rest of them. He hoped, he hoped...

And then Captain America had spat all his worst insecurities in his face, his file still said he 'wasn't recommended', Thor didn't spare him a second glance, Banner liked him but to an extent and oh, yeah. He'd almost died saving the world, and no one mentioned it afterward.

Tony was pissed, to say the least. But he was also hurt, and tired. So, so tired. He'd just wanted people to accept him, for once...

Tony's not sure what changed their judgement, mostly because he was too out of it to remember. He'd taken a pretty hard hit in a battle once, saving the lives of many in that selfless act. Once he was lucid enough to form cohesive thoughts, he started to notice the changes. The team started bringing him meals when he'd inevitably forgotten humans need that stuff to survive (who knew), they started inviting him out on team activities, and most of all, they began to show interest, _genuine_ interest in what he did. They all met his robots, quickly growing fond of them. They asked what he was working on whenever he'd come up for air, and they'd genuinely listen when he explained what he was doing.

The team started accepting him, not as Tony Stark, but as Tony. And Tony figured, if he couldn't get a different life, it wouldn't be the worst thing to make the most of it.

**Author's Note:**

> There's literally no dialogue in this and it's so short but whatever.
> 
> Also, me friends, I'm just gifting these works to you now because I know that means you get 2 emails for every update so enjoy that :)


End file.
